A Martin O'Malley Press Release...disguised as a WaPo news story

“Six months into his term, advocates for lower- and middle-income families say O'Malley (D) has generally been true to his word: supporting a college tuition freeze, scuttling planned increases in drivers' fees and muscling through a law making Maryland the first in the nation to require that state contractors pay their workers a "living wage."

Well, the college tuition that’s frozen would be the same as the 2006-2007 tuition, which is the same as residents paid during the 2005-2006 school year…meaning he’s continuing the tuition of the past two years of his predecessor. And ‘muscling’ through a so-called living wage law? The legislature had passed one in 2004 (which then-Governor Ehrlich wisely vetoed), so it’s not as if Mr. O’Malley was staking out new ground. The history actually suggests he got muscled because the last minute change to the legislation allowed for a two-tier pay system – one for the Baltimore-Washington corridor and a lower rate for other more rural counties.

And who are these so-called advocates? Post writer John Wagner never actually comes out and says. The closest I could find was Sean Dobson of the liberal advocacy group Progressive Maryland, which Mr. Wagner advertises as lobbying on behalf of lower-and middle-income families:

“More generally, he said, the group has no complaints about O'Malley to date. "So far, he's delivered on his promises," Dobson said.”Translating “no complaints” into laudation is an interesting spin. Next time maybe Mr. Wagner can find a less obvious known active supporter of the Governor to get a quote that underlines his obvious affection for this governor.

Update: Now it actually is kind of an O’Malley Press Release as Monoblogue has his take on it.